Presentation of a Rose
by Jeva
Summary: [MK One Shot] 'She could remember the first flower she had gotten from him...' Aoko has began to notice the change in her friendship with Kaito and now wonders where this new path could lead...


**Presentation of a Rose**

  


She could remember the first flower she had gotten from him. It was a small, red rose that he had held in front of her face while she had been waiting her father who was busy with work. She had been ready to cry because she had been left alone, told to stay put. He had then come up and asked her what she was doing by herself. When she had told him that she was waiting on a parent who might not come, he'd grinned and pulled the bud out of nowhere.

"My name's Kuroba Kaito. Nice to meet you," he'd said, and that was all they needed to become best of friends.

Each year afterward, she could expect him to produce random flowers and present them to her other people at any given time. These incidents almost made that first memory seem less important, especially as they grew older, and he grew smarter, more out-going, more confident in his talents, more attractive to other girls, and more distant toward her.

To be honest, it wasn't as if she hadn't expected it. He was a wonderful person that was bound to out-grow her. She had known that long before when he'd first shown her the tricks his father had shown him. His young face split into two as he laughed at her confusion and awe at the various tricks that the great magician Kuroba Toichi's protégé was able to pull.

"It's not that hard to get," he'd say with a small frown on his face whenever she'd become upset at not being able to figure the tricks out. Then he'd look a tad embarrassed as he admitted, "You'd probably get it if I told ya, but magicians never reveal their secrets..."

And he had grown to become a very good magician, she had to admit to herself. She'd never tell him that, of course. The boy needed someone to keep him from floating off because his ego was so inflated. She didn't mind having that role at all. It really seemed like, at times, that she was the only person he would trust enough to play that role, to stay as close to him as they had been since they had first met. Still...sometimes she found herself missing how he used to share all of his secrets with her and vice versa. Now, they were quiet about the serious things and merely laughed and joked with each other while, on the occasion, ending up in shouting matches and mop-chases.

What really concerned her most in present days were his various disappearances whenever a certain thief would come into town or announced his newest heist. Sometimes it seemed almost impossible to prove to others that he was just a boy who was overly obsessed with the phantom thief rather than him be the Kaitou Kid himself. She had had to defend him from her father's accusations, Hakuba-kun's claims, and Akako-chan's weird obsession with the thief as well. Yet, she couldn't help but to feel that she had to do it. There was an important reason why she couldn't let them ever have a grasp of evidence pointing toward him.

If someone were to ask her why she defended him so strongly and so firmly, she'd just blush and stammer a simple answer like, "He's my friend, baka. Of course I'd defend him," when of course, the answer was not nearly so simple.

Maybe she never really thought about it until she noticed how other girl's stared when they walked passed. Maybe she hadn't felt threatened until Akako-chan began to hunt after him when he'd turned away from her chocolate that one Valentine's. Whatever it was, something had made her realize something about her close friend and herself.

He was becoming a man, and she a woman.

Despite his off-handed behavior toward everything in life in general, save for a certain event or two, she couldn't help but to feel uncomfortable about this new development. Especially whenever he'd managed to get her to blush just by using the same teasing lines he'd used since they'd been in middle school. It frustrated her to know that it only bothered her and not him.

Then she'd think back on the little things he would do - the little things that weren't nearly so little in reality. Like the skiing contest, when he'd dressed himself as the Kaitou Kid and her as the phantom thief's 'stolen bride.' Like on her birthday when he'd somehow managed to light up his message along the night sky since he'd missed the party. She'd looked back on those instances and wonder if there was one secret that she should know. One that involved the his feelings toward her.

But no, that would be silly. He'd always been her friend - her closest friend whom she could rely on and trust...not to be on time but to be there when she really needed someone. And somehow, he was always there. As if he could somehow read her mind and know when she needed someone, he was there, smiling and apologizing for not being there sooner, for being so busy that he couldn't hang around with her more.

Which was what he was presently attempting to do while she kept her head bowed so he couldn't see her face.

"Really, Aoko," he insisted, trying to get a look at her while she turned away from him, "I didn't know it was so late already. I said I might be late, and I'm only a little late, so it's not that bad -"

"Kaito," she said quietly, interrupting him and making him look concerned for his childhood friend.

"What?" he asked before blinking as she stood up. "Aoko?"

A lift of her head and the sight of a grateful smile on her face was enough to throw the young magician off-balanced long enough for her to get away with a hug. Cheeks heated, she looked up at him and firmly stated, "Kaito no baka, you don't have to keep apologizing. You're here, right? At least you showed up this time."

Seeming a bit unnerved by the seeming uncharacteristic behavior from his friend, the teenaged boy gave a nervous laugh, sweatdropping uncertainly. "Yeah, I guess that's true..."

"All right then!" she exclaimed loudly before pulling away and putting her hands on her hips. "So what are we doing today? You're free, right? No work?"

He shook his head with a grin on his face. "Nope!" He then winked. "And I know just how to start off our day together!"

Just as always, she never saw it coming. A sudden _poof_ and there was a rose in her face. This time, a white rose that faded to the tips of its petals a dark red color. Instead of a barely-blossoming bud, this rose was nearly in full-bloom, showing it's red-tipped petals proudly for all to see.

"Oh, it's so pretty..." she said in awe before taking the rose from the ever-grinning magician. She smiled brightly at him before inspecting the flower more, hoping to hide her face some. The changes in the presentation and color of the flower made her blush at the thought of the implications.

...that is, until she felt a sudden draft.

"Ah ha! Safe today! No fish!"

"KAITO!"

Despite the changes that would continue to test their friendship and their small bond, she would continue to hold onto that which was most true of their relationship. That it was a rose. One that was presented to her by him on the day they first met. A bud that was ready to bloom and show its vibrant colors to the world. For now, though, it was just barely in bloom - ready to blossom whenever it felt ready to become more than just a simple bud.

  


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_Author's Notes:_ O.o;;; Am not much of a fluffy person...well, not much of a person who writes fluffy, but here it is. Fluff. -squees- So sweet, too. -feels like glomping something- Eh...anyway, this was inspired by the Valentine's Day spirit and by listening to _The Rose_ while writing this.

...I hope that you and your special someone have a blossoming relationship that will continue to grow more and more beautiful as time goes on. Despite the symbol of love having a short life, true love certainly does not. And for those who have found their true loves, you are truly blessed and never think otherwise. 


End file.
